


One Paw at a Time

by ChaoticMinds



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Action & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-15 14:57:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5789812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticMinds/pseuds/ChaoticMinds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroba Kaito's world has been the same ever since he found his deceased father's secret room and acquired a nosy British stalker... Until a neko cosplayer quite literally fell from the sky. Or WAS he a cosplayer? Those ears and tail look a bit too real...</p>
<p> .:KaiShin AU:.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Paw 1

“Grrrr... Why'd Aohoko make me get her groceries... Can't take a good prank...”

Kaito continues similar ridiculous grumbles with a pout over his face as he carries two plastic shopping bags in each hand, completely filled to the brim with food... and evil f- f- f- _finny_   things...

  
It had taken him HOURS to get everything off of her list! Mostly because most of the things off of her list of evil were filled with the evil creatures of the sea. Maybe he really went overboard with that last prank on her.

  
Kaito grinned mischievously and snickered as he remembered his prank from earlier that day. Even if Aoko hadn't liked it one bit, he thought it was fun. It always was. Though he really wondered if that one prank warranted such horrible torture. He still had homework to do and other nightly extracurricular activities to prepare for! He was a busy man! He didn't have time for getting evil creatures of the sea!

  
This brought another pout to his face, though it soon disappeared behind another mischievous grin. _Oh well~! Hakuba will be back tomorrow... I'll make sure to welcome him with **all** I've got!_   With that thought, his grin grew wider and his steps quicker, eager to drop the evil creatures in the bags at Aoko's house and get things done.

  
All of a sudden, there were a series of loud bangs from an alley he passed a couple of minutes ago, along with the startled cries of some other passersby. Kaito turned sharply towards the noise, and noticed the people around the area either had hands to their mouths or staring in shock at whatever was there. He went back to that area, dropping the bags of evil beside a building nearby, and pushed through the crowd to see what happened, only to find....

… An injured neko cosplayer?? Well, he was injured, so he had to call for both an ambulance and the police as well. He dialed the emergency number, since everyone else was still too shocked to do anything.

… … …

~ ♪♪♪ \\(   Ｕ・ｪ・Ｕ)人(^･x･^=)/ ♪♪♪ ~

… … …

Sapphire blue eyes slowly fluttered open to the color white. Everything hurt. His whole body, especially his neck, was pulsating, making the pain even worse than it should. He closed his eyes again, eyebrows furrowed as a raspy groan escaped his lips. A moment later, and the eyes slowly reopened again. This time, his eyes focused and saw that the white he saw before was a white ceiling. Gingerly turning his head, he examined the rest of the room he was in. Beside him was a stand with a see-through bag and a red bag, as well as a very annoying machine that beeped every second, making his head pound harder. He hated that machine already. On the other side of his cot was a small brown table. Everything else in the room was white. So much white. It set his nerves way past the edge. He felt like he was in danger. But that didn't make much sense, did it? After all, this was just a room. He didn't understand, but he felt like something terrible was going to happen if he didn't get away from the white.

  
He was about to try to get out of the cot when the door opened, revealing a teen with brown hair and bright indigo eyes in a red shirt and jeans, and a taller man in a blue outfit with short, black hair hidden under a blue hat.

  
_Policeman_ , a word drifted from the black depths of his mind. _Person who enforces the laws. Avoid._ The thoughts confused him. Nothing else came to mind that would answer his questions and alleviate his confusion, though. His attention was brought back to the two who entered the room when the one in blue-- **policeman** , he corrected himself-- spoke.

  
“Excuse me, I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but I have some questions to ask you...” The policeman pulled out a little book and a pencil, his gaze flickering just above the chocolate haired boy's head then actually at his face again. “Do you remember anything about the person who attacked you? Anything at all will help in catching the one who hurt you.”

  
At this the boy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _Attacked me??_   He remembered no such thing.. Though, now that he thought about it, he couldn't really remember anything before a few moments ago. He slowly shook his head, drawing a frown from the officer.

  
“I see... Well, if you remember anything, don't hesitate to tell the doctors or Kuroba-kun here.” The police officer gestured to the boy beside him, who gave a cheerful grin and a wave to the boy in the cot. “He's the one who found you lying in the alleyway. Anyways, I'll leave now. I hope you heal quickly. Good bye.” The policeman gave a short bow before leaving through the door he came in from. The other boy-- Kuroba – stayed, though. Kuroba bowed deeper than the policeman did, and suddenly a bouquet of flowers appeared on his lap. The boy in the cot jumped a little, making him wince as pain lanced throughout the limbs that moved.

  
“Oops! Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to hurt you. My name's Kuroba Kaito! Soon to be the best magician in the world! Do you remember your name?”

  
The other shook his head slowly again. A flicker of emotion flashed in Kuroba's eyes before it was gone, leaving only the cheerful grin that has been on his face most of their conversation. _Was that... Worry? Why would he worry? We're complete strangers..._ He glanced down, feeling a little flustered at the thought.

“Hmmmmm....”

  
The smaller boy looked up again to find Kuroba staring intently at his face, causing him to freeze in place. Then the taller boy's face broke out in another grin as he reached out to gently ruffle the other's hair.

  
“Then how about we use the name Shinichi until you remember your actual name? I used to know somebody with that name, and you look kind of like him... Although he didn't have these things you have on your head.”

Kuroba poked the cat ears on the boy's head, causing them to twitch. The smaller boy shot the other a small frown of annoyance, only getting a mischievous and utterly shameless smile in return. He huffed, but a moment later, his face turned thoughtful. He turned over the name in his head. _Shinichi..._ It was a nice name. It just felt... right. He couldn't explain it, but it just seemed to fit right in place in his mind. He found himself slowly nodding, a smile brightening his face.

“Yes... I like that name,” a raspy voice broke the silence.


	2. Paw 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi meets Aoko and Hakuba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the way too long wait! Motivation and time issues. The norm for writers, haha... I hope you enjoy the chapter! :3

The newly named Shinichi covered his eyes and let out a shaky sigh. It's been five days since he first woke up, and he felt like he was slowly going insane. Having to stay in the completely white room, and the people with the sinister white jackets coming in and out were making him a nervous wreck. It didn't really help that he had no idea why he felt such terror at the color of inanimate objects. It didn't make any sense, and he couldn't explain to the doctors why it was so when they asked. Thankfully, though, only the nurses started coming in after he explained that it was scaring him. He was also just a day of rest away to be able to walk around, so he wouldn't be stuck in this horridly white room for the rest of the time they keep him here.

He uncovered his eyes and glanced down at the strange glasses that had red in one opening and blue in the other that Kaito(he kept insisting he call him that) gave him. The rims around the two colors was all black, but he could see a few specks of white that not many would be able to see. He apparently had colored the rims and gave them to him because he mentioned his seemingly illogical fear. Shinichi hadn't expected that in the slightest, but it made him feel a foreign feeling of warmth on the inside. Like he had a campfire warming up his soul from the blackness of night all around it.

A small smile appeared on his face, and he picked the odd two-toned glasses up and put them on. The strange magician had come once every day either in the afternoons or evenings. He was the only splash of color that appeared in this room that didn't make him tired, irritated, or scared. Maybe it had to do with his ever-cheerful personality. His cheerfulness was contagious, and his strange magic was entertaining as well. He helped the time pass by quickly every time he visited. Speaking of which, he should be coming pretty soon. He had mentioned something about cutting classes to visit him today. What classes he was speaking of, Shinichi never knew.

… … …

~ ♪♪♪ Ｕ・ｪ・Ｕ人(^･x･^=) ♪♪♪ ~

… … …

Kaito let out an annoyed huff. He had skipped his afternoon classes to go visit Shinichi earlier than he had been recently. But it seems as though a certain blond prick decided to stalk him today. _His name for the rest of today is going to be Haku-chan..._ A smirk appeared on his face at the thought. _And maybe a lovely shade of pink for his hair. T'would be the perfect weekend hairdo!_ He snickered and rounded the street corner, deciding to hide right at the edge and wait for the stalker to catch up.

As soon as the Brit caught up, Kaito stuck out his foot and tripped him, dying his hair a cotton candy shade of pink as he stumbled. Unfortunately, the Brit didn't fall flat on his face but caught his footing just in time to keep from falling onto the pavement.

“My, my! If it isn't Haku-chan~!”

“ _Kuroba..._ ”

Hakuba glared at him as he grinned right back at him. Then he caught a glimpse of the person a little bit behind the detective. His eyes widened in surprise before the grin reappeared on his face.

“Well, well! Isn't today is full of surprises! You skipped classes, Aoko?”

The brunette huffed and crossed her arms.

“Yes, I-- _we_ \-- did! We were curious about where you've been disappearing to lately.”

“But Aoko, don't I always disappear? What makes this time oh so special?”

“You've never disappeared at some point everyday in a week before! You usually at least hang out with us one or two days before you disappear sometime in the day again. So today we're going where you're going, whether you like it or not!”

Kaito let out a dramatic sigh and then shrugged.

“Oh well~! You've already made me late. You two can help me find some interesting snacks before we go visit my new interesting friend!”

He ignored Aoko's confused but curious expression, grabbed her hand, and raced off to the nearest convenience store, not caring whether Hakuba followed them or not.

… … …

~ ♪♪♪ Ｕ・ｪ・Ｕ人(^･x･^=) ♪♪♪ ~

… … …

Through half closed eyelids, his slightly sleep blurred vision could make out the shapes of people in wretched white coats, in a similarly colored room. The light shining on him just made it worse. The intense sleepiness he was feeling only dulled the full body ache, not the fear he felt. He knew everything about this was wrong, but it wouldn't stop. They wouldn't stop.

_**“He's gaining consciousness, give him more anesthesia. We're not quite done here...”** _

_**“This one sure is interesting, I wonder why this amount isn't affecting him like the others..”** _

**_“Nevermind that, just give him a higher dose.”_ **

A hand lifted above his right side, and his eyelids closed again, washing him in darkness once more.

Shinichi's eyelids flew open with a gasp. He heard his pulse thundering in his ears as he panted, his wide eyes staring at the familiar white ceiling of the room he's been in for 6 days. When had he fallen asleep? Though it didn't really matter. He felt even more tired than before he drifted off. In his peripheral vision, a hand was advancing towards him, and the dream flashed in his mind. His body pumped with sudden adrenaline, his head snapped to the side where the hand was and he bit down hard.

“OW!”

Shinichi blinked, hearing the familiar voice. He looked up to find Kaito holding the hand that was bitten. Oops.

“K-Kaito??... Oh no! I'm sorry!”

He hopped up despite his slightly shaking limbs, trying to peek at his bitten hand. He had overheard some of the nurses talking about the irregular size and sharpness of his canine teeth, so he knew that his hand must really hurt at the moment. But Kaito just smiled at him and laughed, albeit a slightly strained laugh.

“Don't worry, I'll be fine! I guess it was kind of careless of me to do that when it looked like you woke up from a nightmare.”

The magician let go of his bitten hand, and Shinichi frowned at the blood welling up at the two points his canines connected to skin and running down. But Kaito just reached into his mouth with his good hand and pulled out a string of handkerchiefs and then tied it tightly onto the injured hand with his teeth and uninjured hand. He then held it out to Shinichi with a grin.

“There! All better!”

Shinichi just lifted an eyebrow at him, giving Kaito a disbelieving look.

“C'mon! Turn that frown...”

Kaito reached over and pulled the edges of Shinichi's mouth up.

“Upside down!”

Shinichi gave him a flat look.

“I'm starting to wonder if I should bite you again...”

Kaito laughed at him and pulled away.

“I'd rather you bite the snacks I brought you today!”

“ _More?_ ” Shinichi asked incredulously, surprised at how many different foods he could find to bring him each day. Kaito nodded.

“Yup! But first, I want to introduce you to my friends that came with me this time. They were nosy and decided to follow me here. Oh, and you dropped these.”

Kaito made his special glasses appear with a flick of the wrist. Shinichi's mouth dropped.

“Ah! Thanks, I didn't know I dropped it.”

He was about to take the glasses from the magician's grasp when they just poofed onto his face. He shot Kaito an irritated pout, but Kaito just grinned and ruffled his hair once again. He didn't like how this was becoming a habit to the magician. Kaito left a disgruntled Shinichi to fixing his hair as he went to the door and opened it.

“Alright guys, you can come in now!”

“ _Mou_ , Kaito! What took you so long?”

“He wasn't _quite_ ready to meet a brute with strong lungs and a time obsessed stalker yet.”

Kaito jumped away from the door as an arm that was covered in a dark blue sleeve went through the door way where Kaito used to be. Laughing, he turned to Shinichi and threw his thumb over his shoulder to point at the two strangers that just entered the room. One was a girl in a loose dark blue shirt and a dark blue short skirt. She had brown hair that was the same shade as Kaito's and blue eyes that were almost as dark as the outfit she came in. The other was a boy that was taller than all of them. His facial features screamed foreigner, and his black outfit was without any wrinkles. He had a very strange light pink hair color and sharp, brown eyes that looked as if they didn't miss much.

“Shinichi, this is my friend Nakamori Aoko, which is the girl in blue. The annoying foreign looking guy is my constant stalker, Haku-Chan.”

Shinichi lifted an eyebrow as Haku glared at Kaito. Haku opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Kaito.

“Aoko, Haku-Chan, this is my friend Shinichi.”

Shinichi then looked back at them, and saw their curious gazes landing right above his head. He huffed a little, feeling uncomfortable under their stares, and sat back down on his cot. This seemed to bring their eyes back to his face and make them move. The girl named Aoko came closer and did a quick bow with a cheerful smile.

“Sorry about that! It's nice to meet you, Shinichi-kun!”

Shinichi furrowed his brows a little in confusion.

“My name is just Shinichi. Kaito didn't name me Shinichi-kun, just Shinichi. Please just stick to that.”

Aoko tilts her head a little bit and looks at him like he's very strange for saying what he just said. The pink haired foreigner, on the other hand...

“Are you not raised in Japan? The addition of -kun, -chan, -san, etc. to names only happens in this country, after all.”

Shinichi frowns at his question. He didn't know either. Kaito seemed to see his difficulty in answering the question cause he cut in with a melodramatic sigh.

“Haku-Chan, stop being so nosy! Poor Shinichi can't remember anything about his past yet. Though the doctors believe he'll be able to remember over time. Anyways, enough about this.”

A plastic white bag suddenly poofed onto Shinichi's lap, making Shinichi jump a little in surprise. He was still a little jumpy from that unpleasant dream he had.

“It's snack timeeeeee~!” Kaito sang happily as he sat down beside Shinichi and started pulling out quite a lot of snacks. Shinichi frowned a little.

“Uhmmm, this is way too much food... I still haven't been able to eat all you brought _last_ time!” Kaito snickered before he replied.

“Don't worry! We'll have plenty of time to get you used to this amount and fatten you up later!” At Shinichi's confused expression, he explained further. “You're going to get better eventually. And you can't stay here forever if you're physically healed. So to help jog your memories, you're going to live with me as soon as you're able to be checked out of here!”

“ **What?!** ” Both Aoko and the pink haired foreigner exclaimed at the same time, obviously very shocked at the magician's words.

“How were the police and hospital alright with this??” Haku asked incredulously.

“Well, I live right beside an Inspector, and I have space for another person. So they didn't see much reason to not let him stay with me.”

Both Aoko and Haku gave him suspicious and doubting looks but said nothing. Shinichi raised an eyebrow at their disbelief. _Do they really think he would lie about something like that..? I know he's a little mischievous, but really..._ He shook his head slightly and looked down at the various snack packages.

“So which one should I eat first?”

He looked up to see Kaito reach for a rectangular red box with the white word _Pocky_ and _chocolate_ on it. Kaito handed the box to Shinichi, letting the smaller male start opening the box.

“I suggest we start with Pocky! It's a fun and tasty snack! Chocolate is my favorite, by the way. I'm sure you'll like it too.”

Everyone watched as Shinichi pulled out a chocolate pocky stick and examine it. His expression was more than a little confused.

“So... I eat this stick??”

As Shinichi stares at the pocky stick, the others all laugh in a different fashion. Kaito just outright laughed, Aoko giggled, and Hakuba gave a subtle cough and looked to the side. Though his smile could still be seen a little past the fist covering his mouth as he did so. Shinichi looks up with a glare and a light pink tinge to his cheeks.

“What's so funny?? This is a perfectly normal question! This... _stick_ _thing_ , looks nothing like something one would eat!”

He waves the pocky stick around at them, trying to emphasize his point, but it only makes Kaito laugh harder. He glares at Kaito, feeling his cheeks get even warmer. Haku comes in front of Kaito, drawing Shinichi's attention to him.

“It is actually something people eat. It's a confectionery snack that people eat because it tastes good to them. It's also placed in a small container, so you can bring it along anywhere in a bag. Though I myself prefer Apple pie or Trifle to that any day.”

“Hah...”

Shinichi looks down at the strange snack stick. _Confectionery...?? Ah, well... If this really is food, I might as well try it._ He took a bite of the pocky stick, his face contemplative. It didn't taste bad, but it had a bit too much flavor like most of the food he was brought before. _I wonder if everybody else's tongues aren't that good at tasting things? It would make sense that all this food has so much flavor..._ He looked up from eating the last bite of the pocky stick to find them staring at him once more.

“So?? Did you like it??”

Kaito smiles at him expectantly. The other two also stare, their eyes betraying their curiosity in his answer.

“Uhm... It was pretty good.. Though, I have to wonder why there's so much flavor in these foods you bring me.”

“What do you mean?”

Shinichi looks at Aoko, and scratches his cheek as he tries to find a way to answer her question.

“Uhm.. Well... It's kind of hard to describe, but I kind of feel like my tongue is a little overwhelmed with all these new things I have been tasting. Like, if my tongue was me, I would just be walking along doing my own thing, and I suddenly slam against a wall. That wall is all this flavor. That's how... Shocking?... Hm, no.. That's how unused to these foods I am.”

Haku hums in response, his expression thoughtful.

“I guess your senses are more sensitive than the average person. Though I wonder what factors have brought upon this sensitivity...”

Kaito grinned at him.

“I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact that he's got real kitty ears.”

Haku gave Kaito an incredulous look.

“You are pulling my leg, aren't you? People don't have _real_ cat ears. It's not physically possible. All of the moving animal ears that people wear are just technology. Not muscle and fur like cats have. It just doesn't happen with humans.”

Kaito's grin widened.

“Is that so~? Well apparently Shinichi here has broke the norm and miraculously gotten a set of _real_ kitty ears and a _real_ tail.”

The two keep bickering about the possibilities of such a thing and Aoko comes closer to Shinichi. She carefuly sits on the bed beside him and smiles.

“These two are always like this, so you should probably get used to it since you're going to be living with Kaito.” Shinichi slowly brings his attention to Aoko, fully aware of his ears drooping a bit.

“I.. see,” Shinichi says a little hesitantly. This causes Aoko to frown some.

“If it's bothering you, I can throw both of those idiots outside. They're not supposed to be bothering a patient.”

Shinichi smiles at Aoko. That was a very funny mental image. Kaito definitely wouldn't take well to being kicked out. He'd definitely find a way back in.

“No, it doesn't bother me much. Kaito has been louder than this in some of his earlier visits...” He trailed off with a deadpan smile. The nurses have a war with Kaito over his noisiness. It's fun to watch them go at it. Aoko let out an exasperated sigh.

“That sounds like Kaito, alright. If you ever need to control him, just bring out some fish, or something with a fish pattern. He'll be running for the hills, then!” Aoko said with a laugh. Shinichi smiled. It was funny how someone who didn't care about most rules and seemed fearless would be afraid of fish.

“Thank you, but I don't think I'll need that.”

Kaito was fun to be with. Even if it had colorful consequences. Not that he really cared. He wished these white walls had color.

Aoko gave him a look that made it obvious that she didn't believe him, but didn't say anything. They both watched the two boys lost in their own world, bickering about what was real and what was not. Shinichi was so focused on their conversation that he didn't notice Aoko staring at his drooping ears.

“So... Are those ears of yours truly real?”

The sentence startled Shinichi from the uncomfortable conversation the other two were having. He looked over at Aoko who was staring at him, obviously waiting for an answer. She also looked like she wanted to get closer and touch his ears by the way her eyes kept trailing to his ears. He nodded slightly, already uncomfortable with the topic.

“Yes, they're real...”

He noticed the curiosity burning brighter in her eyes, her head tilting a little in contemplation.

“Really? Wow, I never thought I'd see something like this before. Then again, Akako is a witch. I really shouldn't be surprised.”

Well, she accepted that as easily as Kaito. She wasn't like Haku, who blatantly said he didn't believe it, or the hospital staff that regularly pokes and prods and tests him cause they're baffled at his body. The nurses always say it's to help him get and stay healthy, but the fact remains that it always makes him feel uncomfortable. _I think I like this friend of Kaito's. I think Aoko will be my friend, too. Though I wonder who this Akako is. And what a witch is._

“Witch?”

“Yeah, you know, people with fantastical powers that they channel through a stick called a wand.” Shinichi glanced down at the forgotten pocky container. He pulled a pocky stick out and lifted it in between him and Aoko.

“Are you sure it's wise to be selling these sticks to everybody? They sound dangerous...”

Aoko stared at him blankly. Then glanced at the pocky stick. Then burst out laughing. She laughed so loud she brought the others' attention to their conversation, while Shinichi is floundering, wondering why she was laughing. It was a serious concern! Why was she laughing?!

“Oiiii, why are you laughing so much, Aoko?” Kaito asked as both him and Haku got closer to the bed. But Aoko waved him off and kept laughing. So Kaito glanced at Shinichi, obviously wanting to know what was going on. Even though he was a little lost himself, Shinichi began to explain.

“Well, Aoko mentioned this Akako person and said they were a witch.”

“What?! Why were you two talking about _her_ of all people?!”

He ignored Kaito's slightly panicked questions and kept on with his explanation.

“I was curious as to what a witch was, and she said they were people who channeled power through sticks to do fantastical things.” He lifted up the pocky stick again with a frown.“So I asked why everybody was selling sticks like these. Wouldn't it be dangerous? But she started laughing!” He said with frustration, which only grew when Kaito decided to laugh with Aoko. It definitely wasn't helping that Haku wasn't even hiding his chuckles like last time. He sulked with bright red cheeks until they decided to explain.

“Shinichi...” Kaito started once he caught his breath from laughing so much. “Pocky sticks aren't magical. Hell, even _regular_ sticks aren't magical!” Kaito burst into a fit of giggles again and ruffled Shinichi's hair again, making him glare at Kaito. He began fixing his hair as Haku spoke with an amused smirk.

“Besides, magic doesn't exist. Well, that type of fairytale magic, that is. Kuroba's magic tricks are quite real. However, they are tricks and are only done through training the body, not using any sort of 'power' one might have.”

Shinichi frowned, not impressed. Haku didn't believe his ears and tail were real, and he exists, so witch magic could also be real, too. He'd have to have Aoko introduce this Akako to him so he can ask Akako if witch magic was real once he was better. He huffed in annoyance as he set his hands down again, his hair in order once more.

“Whatever...” he muttered and shoved the pocky stick in a snickering Kaito's mouth. Now Kaito was happily eating the pocky. Although it kept him sort of quiet, it didn't really help his frustration with the situation.

“Don't worry, Shinichi, there aren't many witches, so don't worry. I'm sure even witches can't turn some random stick into a wand instantly. So they're not dangerous,” Aoko said with a slightly amused, but friendly smile. Shinichi nodded, satisfied with this answer, and gave a small smile back.

“Okay.”

He ignored the barely audible scoff coming in the direction of Haku. He really doesn't like these things he apparently doesn't believe are real. But that's his problem. Aoko glaced at her watch and gasped.

“Uh oh! I need to go! I need to finish my homework and make dinner for Dad and... Kaito, are you going to eat with us tonight?”

“Sure, Aoko. As long as it's not... Geh...”

“Fish?” Aoko supplied mischievously, making Kaito grimace and give her a dirty look.

“Yes, that. The horrible finny things.” Aoko grinned at his response.

“I don't know, if Shinichi is going to be living with you, eventually I'll _have_ to start cooking fish dishes! Fish are a cat's favorite food, after all~!”

She giggled at Kaito's horrified face, and glanced at Shinichi.

“See you later, Shinichi! I'll make you some yummy food when you get out of the hospital!”

And with that cheerful declaration, she left the room. Kaito then unfroze.

“O-Oi! Wait! AOKO!” he yelled, chasing after Aoko. But before he went through the door, he turned and looked at Shinichi.

“See you tomorrow, Shinichi! I gotta stop the evilness while I still can!”

With that, he too was out the door. This left just Shinichi and Haku in the room together. Haku cleared his throat.

“I, too should be off. Though I just have one thing to say.”

Shinichi raised an eyebrow with the slight tilt of his head in response .

“My name is Hakuba Saguru. Not _Haku-chan_. Kuroba just likes to annoy me in any way possible.”

“Ohh...”

He sort of understands why, and this is his first time meeting Haku _ba_.

“Goodbye, Shinichi. I hope you heal quickly.”

Shinichi's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise at his last words.

“Thank you...”

Hakuba bowed and left the room, leaving the sole occupant once again in relative silence. Shinichi sighed. He wished Kaito came back. He didn't like the silence very much.


	3. Paw 3

Shinichi sat on a bench in the hospital's enclosed garden, waiting patiently for Kaito to come and get him. Despite having been able to go out of his room for a while now, he didn't do it much. He didn't like the looks most people gave him, and the cold air generally seeped through his paper-thin hospital clothes. So he usually slept in his warm hospital bed until someone came and woke him up, or stared out his room's window. The nurses were always fussing on how he shouldn't sleep too much, and how his sleeping schedule (whatever that is) would be messed up, but he couldn't help it. His bed was so _warm,_ and his room so _boring_ without visitors, that that was all he could think to do. He didn't want to think about his off and on nightmares; they were frightening. So the less he was awake in the silence, the less he'd have to think about it. Even if he might have to deal with even more nightmares.

But now he'll be free from that (he hopes). He's wearing some clingy black hat that warms his head and covers his ears, a nice dark blue sweater, another warm grey sweater like thing with a hood and zipper on it... _jacket;_ a black, white, and grey scarf with stripes of different sizes and placing on it, a pair of rough feeling grey pants, white socks, and blue, comfortable shoes. He was nice and warm, and was taking full advantage of the colorful garden while he waited for Kaito to “check him out”. At least that's how the nurse put it. There seemed to be so many different ways to name the same thing, it was confusing. But however one put it, he was very glad to be leaving.

“Shinichiiiiii!”

Shinichi's head shot up from where he was staring at his moving feet and looked around the area. Kaito was... well, not really running, but not really walking either, toward him. _I wonder if a nurse got onto him about running inside again._ He stood up with a smile, and met him half way. He unconsciously shuffled his feet, his tail hidden underneath his sweater twitching in agitation.

“So we can go now?” He asked hopefully, which brought an amused but bright, answering grin from Kaito.

“Yup! Let's go! I have _so_ many things to show you, and it can't all be shown in one day!”

“Well then, it's a good thing I'm living with you then, isn't it? You'll have plenty of time to show me stuff,” Shinichi said with a chuckle. _And I won't have as much silence to deal with._ Kaito laughed with him.

_“_ Indeed.”

And with that, the two made their way out of the hospital. It was time to _explore_!

… … …

~ ♪♪♪ Ｕ・ｪ・Ｕ人(^･x･^=) ♪♪♪ ~

… … …

It was night by the time they actually got to Kaito's house. It looked like a nice house. Though it looked like it could hold lots of people in it. It was pretty big. Then again, Aoko's house was just as big, and the only ones living there were her and her father, Nakamori. Er, Nakamori- _keibu_. Shinichi let out a silent sigh. All those additions to names are going to be a pain to remember. Shinichi shook his head. That wasn't the real pain at the moment. His stomach felt like it was going to burst. He really shouldn't have let Kaito be in control of what and how much was put on his plate at dinner with the Nakamoris. Aoko put the fish on his plate, though. Kaito wouldn’t touch or even _look_ at the things. (Aoko enjoyed dinner immensely. Apparently torturing Kaito doesn’t happen often, and Aoko draws it out every time it happens.)  So when he shed his shoes off at the entrance, he ventured further into Kaito’s house with a moan, spotted a comfy looking bench chair type thing, and collapsed onto it with another moan.

“ **Too much food...** ” Came the muffled complaint through the fabric of the thing he was laying on. He heard a snicker and a click, which caused him to open his eyes and glare halfheartedly at a grinning Kaito.

“Awww, does the wittle kitty need to nap off the food?”

Shinichi huffed and turned his back to Kaito, his tail twitching in annoyance.

“I think I just might,” he replies a bit petulantly. Which only made Kaito laugh again.

“Alright, alright. I'm sorry. How about we watch some TV? It might distract you from your growing tummy.”

He felt his legs move up, the cushions at the other end weighted down by something, and his legs being brought down onto what he can only guess to be Kaito's lap. _TV...? Where have I heard that before...?_

“TV?”

“Yup! It's this box thing that's in front of the couch here. It's pretty handy.”

Shinichi's brows furrowed in confusion. _Couch?_ But even though he was a little confused, he was curious. And his curiosity only grew when he suddenly heard someone talking when he knew there was only two people in the room at the moment. So he forced himself to turn back over and looked around the room.

There was only the chair thing they were on, the entryway nearby, a cabinet behind the couch, and some shelves nearby… There was no one in the room besides them. But there was also the box thing with people stuck inside!

Shinichi stared at the box and the people inside it going on about their business with his jaw dropped. Slowly, he points at it.

“I-Is that…?”

“Yup! That’s the TV~.”

Shinichi turns his head slowly to Kaito, who was on the other side of the couch. Kaito had his head leaned on his hand, which rested on the armrest of the couch, and had a bemused expression on his face as he stared back at Shinichi. Though there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“Is there a problem?”

Shinichi quickly glances back at the TV and shakes his head, despite the growing uneasiness the longer he sees the people inside there.

“How… How did you get the people inside there??”

A halfbeat of silence remains, until Kaito answers.

“With magic, of course!”

Shinichi glances back at Kaito with a shocked and horrified expression on his face.

“M-Magic can trap people in boxes with windows?!”

Kaito leans in closer and nods twice, rubbing his chin with a serious expression on his face.

“Yes, it’s quite extraordinary, isn’t it? These people inside the boxes can predict the weather patterns, show what’s going on in the world around us, and make plays for those outside of the boxes!”

“W-Wha… Wow… But they have homes they need to go to, yes? They are able to get _out_ of the boxes, right?”

“Of course!” Kaito replied with a grin, before holding up a little black rectangle with his other hand. “Every time I turn off the TV with this remote here, they _magically_ get sent back to where they belong. See?”

Kaito presses a button on the top part of the remote, making the screen on the TV go black. No noise came from it. No light came from it. It just sat there like it did when they came in before.

Shinichi stares at the darkened “window” for a few moments, worry etched on his face. Then he lets out a relieved sigh as he sits back. Then he blinks in surprise. _When did I get in a sitting position? Oh well.._ He looks back at Kaito with a smile on his face.

“I’m glad you let them go. I was worried that they were just stuck in that box forever…”

Kaito laughed and turned the TV back on. He then pressed another button, changing it to a picture of two people reading off of a paper, and a screen behind them.

“This is the news channel, Shinichi. I usually watch this channel. So do the Nakamoris. Mostly because of KID, though.”

Shinichi tilted his head with a questioning expression on his face.

“Kid? You like kids?”

Kaito grins.

“Well, yes… But I mean the Phantom Thief 1412. Also known as Kaitou KID. Most people shorten it(-cough- Nakamori-keibu -cough-) to KID.”

Shinichi blinks, his blank expression response enough.

“Hah…”

They watched the thief’s latest exploits and a few other exploits Kaito recorded on the news the rest of the night before going to bed. While the tricks were intriguing, that blinding, terrifyingly white suit carved a deep image in Shinichi’s mind. Unfortunately, it invaded his dreams as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a long wait again! And with a shorter chapter, too. But at least it's not as long a wait as last time, yeah? ;^^

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello~! This is my first fanfic! Please take care of me~ -bows- =^w^= Please tell me what you think of my story(anytime, really)! Critiques and corrections are very welcome! Also, if there is any scenario that you thought would be interesting, tell me about it and I'll see if I can slip it into the story sometime! :D


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